Why is Council considering city status? A population threshold of 20,000 people allows local governments to consider a change in classification from a Shire to a city. The Shire of Harvey is currently exploring the possibility of reclassifying as a city in response to ongoing population growth and increasing service demands.
Council has initiated engagement and detailed research before deciding whether to pursue city status. This includes public consultation to evaluate:
- The financial implications
- Community sentiment
Council is considering this for the following reasons:
1. Population Threshold
The Shire of Harvey has a rapidly growing population:
- Significant population growth in Australind, Treendale, and Binningup has transformed the Shire from a semi-rural district to a major residential and economic hub within the South West region.
- With continued expansion, particularly in the Australind–Treendale corridor, the Shire’s population now exceeds 31,000.
2. Urban Character and Development
- The Shire now exhibits a predominantly urban character:
- Large, planned residential developments (e.g. Treendale, Kingston, Clifton Park and Binningup)
- Strong retail and commercial centres in Australind and Harvey townsites.
- Significant public amenities, including schools, health centres, sporting complexes, and industrial estates.
- The rural and agricultural areas, while important, no longer define the district’s dominant identity — it has evolved into a diverse and modern urban community.
3. Regional Significance
- Harvey Shire serves as a key regional link between Bunbury and the greater South West.
- It supports major industries including:
- Agriculture and food production (Harvey Fresh, Brownes, Harvey Beef)
- A strong and growing employment sector in manufacturing, construction, and health and associated services
- Industrial and logistics growth in the Kemerton Strategic Industrial Area
- These features position Harvey as a significant regional centre, satisfying Regulation 7(1)(b) for regional significance.
4. Economic and Infrastructure Readiness
- Substantial investment in infrastructure:
- Upgrades to Forrest Highway, Harvey and Treendale town centres, and industrial estates.
- Strong partnerships with state and commonwealth departments.
- The district already provides city-level services, such as community facilities (leisure centres, skate parks, playgrounds), and emergency service support (Harvey SES, Bushfire Brigades).
5. Community Identity and Civic Pride
- Transitioning to city status reflects the community’s pride in where they live, strong growth, diversity, and ambition.
- A city designation can:
- Strengthen civic identity and regional recognition.
- Attract investment, tourism, and new residents.
- Enhance grant eligibility and economic development opportunities.
- The name change would symbolise Harvey’s progressive, connected, and future-focused character.
6. Alignment with Strategic Planning
- The change aligns with:
- Shire of Harvey Council Plan 2025–2035 goals for sustainable growth.
- Greater Bunbury Regional Planning Strategy, identifying the Shire of Harvey as part of the region’s urban expansion corridor.
- State government objectives to support decentralisation and regional development.
Local governments can be designated as a city, a town or a shire. These terms group local governments by factors like:
- Population size and density
- Whether the area is urban or rural.
City
- Large population (20,000+ people in regional areas or 30,000+ people in the metropolitan area)
- More than half of the population lives in an urban area
- Head of the Council is called a Mayor
Town
- Small to moderate population (less than is required to be classified a city)
- Most of the population live in urban areas
- Head of the Council is called a Mayor
Shire
- Relatively small population (less than is required to be classified a city)
- Most of the population live outside of urban areas
- Head of the Council is called a Shire President.
If a local government is not classified as a city or town, it is automatically classified as a Shire.
The Local Government Act 1995 section 2.4 sets out two main requirements for a regional local government to be recognised as a city. These are:
- A population of at least 20,000 people
- More than half of the population lives in an urban area
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1995
How is the population of a Local Government calculated?
Section 2.4(6) of the Act states that the number of inhabitants of a district at a particular time is to be taken as:
- That established by the Government Statistician appointed under the Statistics Act 1907; and
- According to the information then available to that person.
Under the Act, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) performs this role. As such, ABS data informs whether the population threshold is met.
What is meant by an Urban Area?
The ABS uses statistical population density data to determine if an area is urban or if it is rural.
Population density is determined based on different kinds of geographic areas, such as statistical area levels.
Statistical Areas Level 1 (SA1s) are geographic areas with a population between 200-800 people that contain things like residential development, infrastructure, parks, vegetation corridors, facilities, and waterways. Urban SA1s generally contain more than 200 people per square kilometre. Rural SA1s generally contain less than 200 people per square kilometre.
Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2s) are built up from SA1s. Their purpose is to represent a community that interacts together socially and economically. They generally have a population between 3,000 and 25,000 people.
More information about Statistical Areas
Adjacent urban SA1s are combined to form urban centres if they meet the following requirements:
- The combined population of urban SA1s is 1,000 persons or more
- The combined urban SA1s have an urban identity, such as:
- shared urban facilities of some kind
- an identifiable name
Urban Centres and Localities | Australian Bureau of Statistics
According to ABS data, the Australind – Leschenault SA2:
- Has a population of 21,238 people as recorded in 2024
- A population density of 315.5 people per hectare
This meets the criteria to be considered an “urban” area.
Data by region | Australian Bureau of Statistics
Requirement 1: A population of at least 20,000 people
The Shire of Harvey has a population of 31,495 reported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in 2024. Our population growth rate from 2023-2024 was 693 people, or 2.2 per cent.
Recent building approval figures suggest strong population growth will continue in future years. Developments and housing projects are planned for areas including East Treendale, south of Binningup, Roelands and Harvey.
As a result, the Shire’s population is expected to exceed that of the City of Bunbury within 5 to 10 years.
Requirement 2: More than half of the population lives in an urban area
61% of the Shire’s population live in the Australind – Leschenault urban area, with the ABS reporting that the population of Australind – Leschenault was 19,256 at the 2021 census.
The maps below shows the location of rural and urban areas in the Shire of Harvey.
Urban areas in the Shire of Harvey
Image source: Australian Bureau of Statistics
Rural areas in the Shire of Harvey
Image source: Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Shire of Harvey has the largest population of any regional Shire, based on ABS 2024 population figures:
- Shire of Harvey – 31,495
- Shire of Capel – 19,700
- Shire of Dardanup – 15,930
- Shire of Augusta Margaret River – 19,410
- Shire of Collie – 9,408
- Shire of Murray – 20,563
- Shire of Waroona – 4,537
The Shire of Mundaring (population 42,327) and Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale (population 38,631), have populations greater than the Shire of Harvey. This is due to Perth’s urban areas spilling out into their Shires. Both shires are designated as metropolitan and are not considered to be regional local governments. Both shires may consider city status in the future.
Regional cities include:
- City of Albany - 40,949
- City of Bunbury – 35,174
- City of Busselton - 45,003
- City of Kalgoorlie Boulder - 30,775
- City of Karratha - 24,237
The Shire of Harvey’s population is rapidly approaching that of the City of Bunbury. The City of Bunbury had a population of 35,174 in 2024 - a difference of 3,679 people.
In 2024, the Shire of Harvey’s growth rate (2.2%) was twice as high as that of the City of Bunbury (1.1%) and higher than that of the Shire of Capel (1.9%) and Shire of Dardanup (1.5%) but slightly lower than that of the City of Busselton (2.3%). (Figures for growth rates are between 2023 and 2025 based on ABS 2025 data).
Regional population, 2023-24 financial year | Australian Bureau of Statistics